Author's Note: This is just a fun story I thought of through a dream last night lol. So hopefully it turns out great! Please let me know if you enjoy it or not.

Chapter 1:

Still Smiling

The loud, incessant white noise was growing annoying. Bolin was turning the knobs on the radio trying to find the right station. Unfortunately, all he was finding was static. I tried not to listen but after every spin of the knob Bolin would let out a, "Hm," as if the blur of sound was interesting and then my attention was drawn back to the buzzing static. We had just won our tournament against the Tigerdillos and were now relaxing in the break room. I was unwinding the wraps around my arms while Mako was stripping himself of his gear. I snuck a glance at him while he took off his white tank, revealing his cut abs. A blush crept across my cheeks. He threw the shirt in his duffle bag, grabbing a fresh, clean one from his locker.

I let my gaze wander to the open locker he was rummaging through in search of his scarf, remembering back to the moment I admitted my feelings for him only a week ago right in that very spot. "I like you and I think we are meant to be together!" It was impulsive, but true. I had shouted my confession which made me feel even more awkward but the worst part was that he just looked away. My gut tightened. Things have been strange between the two of us lately. At first, we weren't competing the same way we had been; our teamwork was suffering. So, one day, I pulled him aside and told him I was just stressed out and I didn't mean what I said. I told him I have a boyfriend but that didn't really work considering he laughed and asked for his name. That didn't go so well either because my spark of creativity came up short when I tried making up names for my 'boyfriend.' So instead, we just laughed together at the scenario and since then, we've been back on top in the arena. The downside is that we hardly speak or even look at each other unless we are in the arena.

There are no hard feelings at least on my end, but this is our only way to make an awkward situation dissolve without ruining our team. I'm sure we both knew I was lying about not wanting to be with him. Every time I saw him, my heart would do a somersault in my chest and my thoughts would turn into pieces of paper, jumbling together to form an outline of Mako and that famous smile. Except in my mind, the smile would be directed at me instead of his current girlfriend. The pieces of paper would rip and crinkle at the mere sound of her name: Asami. She was nice so it made me feel guilty but I did know him first! How was it fair for me to just set aside my feelings for some random girl he met by getting hit by her moped? A sigh left my lips. I shouldn't have let two little airbending children sway me into believing I had to confess my love. It was the timing; it had to be the timing. There were plenty of reasons for him to want to be with Asami, but there were plenty more for him to be with me, right?

I hadn't realized I was still staring at the fire bender until I heard, "Hey you," Her soft voice quickly pulled my attention back to my arm wraps. I realized I had been putting the wraps back on instead of taking them off while daydreaming. It was hard pretending I didn't care when she skipped through the doorway with her long legs and happy stride, Mako met her halfway and wrapped his loving arms around her. "Asami!" Their foreheads rested against each other and I noted the genuine smile touching both of their lips. I sneered, rolling my eyes.

Bolin must have given up on the radio because the static was now silence. He threw himself down on the bench beside me. "We totally wiped the arena with those Tigerdillos, huh? They were no match for my earth-rocks. They were especially no match for your crazy water moves." He was leaning back on one of his palms. He rubbed the fingertips of his free hand against his shirt, pulling them away with a cocky grin. I laughed, "Did you see how close it was at first? They had us all the way to the edge until you…." My sentence faltered as three over-confident pro-benders' laughs radiated from the doorway. The three men all wore matching pro bending attire and smug grins; these were the Wingbats. Their match was next and if they win, we have to face off at the championship match.

The one walking in the front of the other two had slick onyx hair fixed in a strange style. His eyes were slits like a snake and his nose was wrinkled up as if he smelled something rotten. His hand wafted in front of his face. "Do you smell something? Oh wait, I know what that smell is." I noticed Mako's arms wrap tighter around Asami's slender waist while they glared at the man in front of us. "It's the smell of losers." His voice was cool. He pointed a finger at Mako who gritted his teeth. I pointed my finger back at him. Something about Tahno made my skin crawl and his voice made my irritation almost uncontrollable. "I hope we see you in the finals. Then we'll know who the losers really are." Great comeback, I thought to myself. I was as witty as Pabu. The ferret was in the far corner of the room, chewing on the leg of a wooden chair.

I didn't notice Tahno approaching until he slid himself on the bench beside me. His arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling my ear to his lips. "You know, Oh-vatar, if you want to see how a real bender bends, I could give you some… private lessons." He flashed me a cocky smirk. I stared at him, resisting the urge to slap him across his smug face. I grabbed his hand and carefully removed his arm from draping across my shoulders without a word. He chuckled, back on his feet with one fluid motion. I knew if I said anything, I wouldn't be able to control what I did next. He slid the backside of his palm across his pointed bangs before sauntering to his teammates. A lazy hand lifted to wave as they stepped out for their match. "Watch and learn." He muttered.

I let out a loud growl. He was so cocky and if it weren't for the punishment of getting eliminated from the tournament, I would have wiped that grin off his face days ago. Bolin was saying something excitedly to me but my concentration was lost. I caught myself staring as Asami and Mako whispered quietly to each other, giggling like school girls before she kissed him. He kissed her back; that was the worst part. The kiss lasted longer than it needed to. Jealousy pelted the inside of my stomach. I broke my stare, now watching Pabu sprint across the room up Bolin's pant leg and into his lap. He spun around in circles a few times before settling himself for a nap. Bolin scratched the back of the ferret's ear, still speaking to me. My eyes met his with a weak smile. I nodded, agreeing with whatever it was Bolin was yammering on about.

Only a few minutes after we heard the overly enthusiastic announcer begin the match, it was over. The Wingbats were walking back through the room at their leisurely pace. They hadn't even broken a sweat. Those smug grins were still stretched across their lips. Tahno took off his helmet and ran his fingers through his hair only for it to bounce back into place. His steel eyes glanced around the room at the shocked faces before landing his gaze on me. "Impressed Oh-vatar?" I hadn't realized my jaw was agape until now. I quickly snapped my mouth closed. My arms crossed across my chest. "There's no way the match is over already." A light chuckle let his lips. "You obviously don't know who I am." He had a monotonous tune to his voice. "I told you I was good." He sauntered over to me.

Tahno's foot rested beside me on the bench, leaning his weight on his knee. "So listen, we're going out for a victory drink. Would you care to join us?" I stared at him in awe. This had to be a trick. We were both going to the championship tournament meaning he could easily drug me or lock me in a closet somewhere so that the fire ferrets are forced to forfeit. My eyes narrowed. "No." He lowered his face closer to mine. "You know, I don't ask just anyone to sit at my table. You should feel honored." The corners of his lips turned upward. I shuttered at the thought of being seen in public with such a creep. "It's not happening." He ran his index finger along the side of my cheek before I slapped it away.

"Stop resisting. We both know you want to. Unlike your friends I don't kiss and tell." A hint of humor danced in his eyes that sent a chill down my spine. He stole a glance at the happy couple standing only a few feet away before turning back to me, waiting for a reaction. The blush emitting heat from my cheeks had to be noticeable. 'Kiss and tell', how did he know? Did Asami know? I remembered back to the impulsive kiss between Mako and me. It was a mistake and I didn't think anyone other than us and a heartbroken Bolin knew about it; now I know I'm wrong. I couldn't break his gaze for fear of accidentally making eye contact with Mako. He let out a controlled chuckle realizing he had got to me. "I-um…" What was I supposed to say to that? Even Bolin was silent. "Nothing to say? So, is that a yes, sweetheart?" He broke the awkward barrier that had barred me from responding by adding a little pet name to his question. I couldn't deal with this anymore. What if he says something more revealing? I stood up towering over the over confident Wingbat. "Is that what you think, pretty boy?" My hands balled into fists.

He was still smiling; why was he always smiling? I pulled back my fist but luckily Bolin stepped between us, gently pushing me behind him. "Whoa, whoa! Let me handle this." Bolin winked at me before turning back to Tahno, "Look, bro. You're the enemy. She doesn't want to hang out with you!" He seemed angry. I lowered my fist and gave Tahno a single nod in agreement with Bolin. Tahno glared at my friend, causing him to shrink into himself. "What was that?" Tahno's voice was still low and monotonous, but it now sounded harsh. Bolin rubbed the back of his head nervously. There was obvious tension I'm assuming because of past pro-bending matches between the two teams in which the wingbats dominated the fire ferrets. "I was just… saying, um… you know, she's… busy."

Tahno raised an eyebrow. "Busy?" He turned his gaze back on me who was equally as puzzled. "Doing what?" Bolin shrugged as if the question were directed at him, "You know... She's going to have a victory feast with her team and Asami." He leaned back on his heels, "Right, Korra?" That sounds like a blast, I thought sarcastically. I glanced over at Mako and Asami who seemed to be in their own little world a million miles away. Asami giggled as Mako whispered something in her ear. They were still holding each other. I hated this. She shouldn't be allowed in here; this was supposed to be a room for benders not benders plus one. Mako had admitted to having some kind of feelings for me, so how could he just stand there like that, all over some girl, right in front of me? Did I really want to sit around watching this all night? Not. At. All.

Blink! A light bulb turned on and I couldn't help but smile at this new idea. I now know what has been handed to me; an opportunity to make this obnoxious meeting into something better. I turned my attention back to Tahno, flashing him a bright smile: he had given me an out. "Actually, I would love to join you for a drink." I didn't break our gaze, but the giggling in the corner ceased and I could see Bolin staring at me with sad, orphan eyes out of the corner of my eye. Tahno's wide smirk returned. "That's what I thought. Well then," His foot fell back to the floor before he took a few steps backwards towards his teammates. "I'll see you tonight, Oh-vatar." He gave me a two finger salute as the wingbats left. I turned to face the room and saw Bolin's jaw had dropped, Asami was eyeing me curiously obviously wondering why I had just accepted an invitation from our championship opponent, and Mako was glaring; I also noted his arm was no longer around Asami's waist. As for me, I can't explain it, but I was still smiling.

Author's Note: Yes, random story... I actually had a dream about this last night so maybe it'll turn out like "Twilight" and become something awesome. ;P We shall see.

Let me know if you like it so far. As for the couple pairings... Well, haven't decided yet. It could be anything. I kind of just let the story evolve as I go. (I have a basic idea for my stories and how they will go, but most of it just comes to me as I go so that it is more along the lines of what I think the character in the story would do instead of what the writer told her/him to do...)

Anyway, please review.(:

-InconsciousSin.